puppy doesn't like walks

[goshhhhhh]

Oh wise mumsnetters, we took the plunge & got a puppy. (A cockapoo & yes I know - an awful designer dog) He is lovely but we are having an awful time toilet training & today he has decided he doesn't like walks but just wants to be at home. Tried treats when walking etc. Do we just need to persevere?

[papadaddy]

Yes, just see it out. My pooch was awful at walking when we first got him. We laugh about how he used to be now. Sometimes he still gets attitude when its raining.

The best thing to do is not give in and go home. One other thing I tried was picking him up, and taking him away from the door, so he knew we weren't close to home.

[goshhhhhh]

Thank you...Will give it ago. He loved his first few walks and now seems to have changed his mind.

[Dancingyogi]

My pup was like this too. We had to carry him outside, he didn't like the hall for some reason. Most initial walks were him refusing to walk and then pulling on the lead, but he eventually settled down and I have learned that it sometimes just takes a lot of patience and some time than I ever imagined to sort out their behaviour.

[financialwizard]

Exactly the same here. Pup is now 17 weeks old and she is just starting to get the walking straight out the door thing. Whereas before we were having to use treats or pick her up to get her walking. It frustrated me a bit because she'd happily pootle off if we had taken her out in the car.

[Jammygal]

My boy was the same when he was a pup ...it is partly to do with being overwhelmed by everything outside. Get yourself an extendable lead and walk away from puppy .....then use small bit of food to entice puppy over to you....I find extendable also helps them to feel attached to you if they are finding the big wide world a bit crazy. Soon you'll be ditching the extendable as the puppy will be dragging you up the road for walks ;)

[goshhhhhh]

Glad to hear it is normal & we aren't rubbish first time dog owners. I'll put the extendable lead on the shopping list.
Are we meant to let him free & reign him back in when need to (other dogs, cyclists etc.)?

[Dancingyogi]

My puppy hates the car (he was car sick quite often initially), so everytime I put my shoes on or make any indication of going for a walk he runs and hides in his crate. He loves his walks now but the car is evil in his opinion. We take him out twice a day, in the car, to the park....he'll eventually tie up the notion that car means park, means fun and he's getting better but we're talking months not days or weeks.
So much more patience required than I ever imagined, have I mentioned that already?....and I have so little to spare!

[muttynutty]

No No no take the extendable lead OFF the list. They are awful things, you will never ever get your dog to walk to heel if you put them on an extendable lead as a puppy. (and yes you will have a dog that drags you up the road if you have started using a extendable lead, they just encourage a dog to pull!)

They are also incredibly dangerous, they can fail and you have a dead dog, they trip people and dogs charge past the lead and cut themselves. Using one on a collar will cause mega injuries to a dogs neck and spine.

I would be getting your puppy out and about, carry if you have to, just let them look and listen, put them down for a bit, treat, play. Make sure they do not meet dogs that you do not know to ensure that all interactions are happy and upbeat. In a week I bet this is no longer a problem

[goshhhhhh]

Ok no lead....has met dogs & really liked the ones he met. First puppy class on Saturday so that will help.
Now just need to crack toilet training. Any hints?

[muttynutty]

Don't use newspaper or puppy pads.

Take him out and stay out with him.

Praise like mad when he wees in the right place - do not comment if he wees in the wrong place.

Take him out every hour minimum

Take him out after food

Take him out when he wakes up from a sleep.

Watch him like a hawk and if you see any clue he may wee take him out instantly

Does he use a crate?

What is the problem you have with toilet training him?

It sounds mean but if he wees or poos inside it is not his fault but yours for not being vigilant or taking him out enough.

[muttynutty]

Unashamedly copied from Sally Bradbury Toilet training in more detail:-

Toilet Training
By Sally Bradbury
Toilet training is all about creating good habits. Young pups have very small bladders and very little bladder control so they need to be in the right place when nature calls.

To toilet train successfully in as short a time as possible you must take your puppy to the garden:

When they wake

After eating

After taking a drink

Before, during and after a period of activity

When you come in

Before you go out

Before bedtime

During the adverts

And every twenty to thirty minutes in between unless they are asleep. During periods of activity change that to every ten to twenty minutes.

Stay outside with your pup. Do not nag or distract him just mooch about and he will do the same and eventually eliminate. Quiet praise is sufficient. Once pup has eliminated you can either stay out and play or go back indoors. If you stay out for a game then he will often need to go again before you go back indoors so stop the game and stay out for a while longer to give him a chance to go again.

If you have to take him back in and he hasn’t eliminated outside then either confine him to his crate, sit him on your lap or tuck him under your arm (small breeds only) as you go about your chores and try again in five minutes.

It is imperative that you do this, especially if you have started off with newspaper down or puppy pads because your puppy may prefer to pee indoors and he could simply be waiting to be taken back in. Give him zero opportunity to go wrong.

If your puppy toilets in the house it is because you haven’t toilet trained him yet and didn’t take him outside when he needed to go. When this happens take a rolled up newspaper and hit yourself over the head whilst repeating the words “I forgot to watch my puppy. I forgot to watch my puppy” If your puppy laughs at you when you do this – praise him.



Common mistakes during toilet training.

Using newspaper or puppy training pads. Whilst it may aid the clearing up process it can be very confusing for the pup that is taught or permitted to toilet in the house to make the transition to going outside and will often result in a pup that when playing in the garden will simply hold on until they are back indoors because that is where the toilet is.

Leaving the door open. This does nothing to teach the pup to toilet outside only.

Reprimands for toileting in the house will result in a dog that believes you disapprove of what he did not where he did it and is damaging to your relationship with your pup.

Giving treats for toileting in the garden, again the dog is being rewarded for what he did not where he did it. Whilst this is not going to be as big a problem as the reprimand, the clever dog will learn to do lots of little wees and never fully empty their bladder. The insecure dog may wee indoors to appease you if you get cross about something else because they know that this is something that pleases you and gets rewarded. NB using both reprimands and rewards is very confusing for your pup.

Expecting your pup to tell you when he needs to go out. Once a pup understands that outside is where the toilet is then he may start to let you know he needs out. However if you are not there to ask or you fail to notice him asking then the housetraining will break down. Far better to have a dog go out to the toilet on your schedule once they are house trained.

Giving your pup an ensuite in his crate. Do not encourage your pup to toilet in his crate by putting puppy pads in there. If you have to leave puppy for a while and he is going to need to go then best to have the crate inside a larger pen or blocked off area and leave the crate door open so that he can get away from his bed to toilet.


N.B. Areas indoors where pup has had an accident are best cleaned with a dilute of biological washing powder. Avoid using disinfectant as this contains ammonia and can encourage pup to pee there again.

Overnight.

Young pups will need to go to the toilet once or twice in the night for anything from a few days to a few weeks.

If your pup is sleeping in a crate in the bedroom with you then they will wake and should let you know they need to go out. Carry pup to the garden to eliminate and then straight back to bed again. A few nights of this and it will take you longer to find your slippers because of sleep deprivation and consequently pup is learning to hold on and will soon be sleeping all night.

If you choose to leave puppy in the kitchen or utility room to sleep then do not shut them in a crate and simply clean up in the morning without comment.

Why punishment does not work for house training.

A typical morning in the life of an 8 week old pup.

7:00am Puppy pees in the garden – Owner present. Gets praised

7.30am Puppy pees in the kitchen – Owner present. Gets a reprimand

8:15am Puppy pees in the lounge – Owner not present. Nothing happens except relief

9:00am Puppy pees in the lounge – Owner present. Gets a reprimand

9:30 am Puppy pees in the kitchen – Owner not present. Nothing, just relief

11:00am Puppy pees in the garden – Owner doesn’t notice Just relief again

11:30am Puppy pees under the dining room table – Owner not present. Nothing happens

12:15pm Puppy pees in the garden – Owner present – gets praise

What we think we are teaching puppy is that it is good to pee in the garden and wrong to pee in the house but what the pup is actually learning is that sometimes it is rewarding to pee when the owner is present and sometimes it is dangerous. However it is always safe to go when the owner is not present and that so far the safest place is under the dining room table.

Never deny your dog water in the mistaken belief that this will aid toilet training. It won't. It will make the urine stronger, it may impact on your dog's health, i.e. cause kidney problems or urniary tract infections.if the dog drinks greedily and excessively when it is available knowing it will be taken away.Dogs must have clean fresh water available all of the time.

[clam]

Don't apologise for having a cockapoo! I've got one (3 and a half now) and he's the absolute best thing ever (and I'm not a dog person!)

He went through a brief period of not wanting to go on walks. I put it down to a bit of a heatwave at the time, but he'd plonk his bottom down on the pavement and I'd be dragging him along like a stuffed toy on a bit of string. He'd be looking longingly back at the house. It only lasted a few days though and soon became the best thing ever for him.

Mine was also pretty slow on the toilet training. My desperation about it all is chronicled on here somewhere. One morning I just sat in the garden and cried! He was about 12-14 weeks before he cracked it, and I wanted to shoot anyone who said their perfectpuppies were sorted at 10 weeks. I honestly thought he'd never get the hang of it. Of course, now he can go up to 14 hours (evening/overnight/morning) without needing a wee.

We need a picture. I'll show you mine (profile) if you show us yours!

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Don't think you have said how old your puppy is ... We have a cockerpoo, who is about 6 months old ... she is a delight. I had always sneered at small, designer dogs, having always had big dogs ... other dog is large.
Puppy now loves walks, although I do have to haul her into deep puddles and ditches . I had despaired of her house training; now we have not had a single accident for a fortnight. The trouble was, she never whined at the door to go out, so I forgot about it. She would just glance at the door and I was supposed to notice.
She is a lovely calm puppy. She enjoys a walk and a play with other puppies, but she is also happy lying in the garden looking at things (generally on a prize plant) and lying on her back on the sofa holding a toy in her feet. She has a mad half hour in the morning and then is really chilled ... if she wants to play, she goes to her toy box and gets out a toy, which she then trails about the room on her own, very happily.
Ignore anti-cockerpoo prejudice ... can we see pictures??

[goshhhhhh]

The toilet training is definitely us. We are not getting cross & staying patient. Occasionally it is an excited wee I think. We take him out - he does nothing then comes in & wees. He also seems to do it if we take our eyes off him for a moment. Literally a moment! I am going to get a newspaper & hit myself over the head with it.
Love him to pieces even though I thought I was a cat person. The cats think he is mad. He has to do things for chicken whilst all they have to do is exist. I'll try & upload a picture.

[goshhhhhh]

He is 11 weeks. Early days & he has only just started going out for walks. Just don't want to get into bad habits 're house training. He is quite chilled ( unless the children rev him up). We are being quite strict because of the cats. He is not allowed on furniture or up stairs.

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Obviously puppy is tiny one ...

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Goshhhhh, at 11 weeks, our puppy was not housetrained ... I was despairing ... but now she is.
Possibly by miraculous intervention. Or maybe she is old enough to hold on longer and to understand. Don't panic!

[MiddletonPink]

Get Gwen Bailey's Perfect Puppy.

It goes through everything you need to know as a novice dog owner.

[goshhhhhh]

Here he is!

[tabulahrasa]

My dog was nearly 16 weeks before he was housetrained, some dogs just take longer to get it.

[RudePepper]

Considering a puppy ... how long does the weeing every 20 mins go on for?

[clam]

Aw, bless his cotton socks!

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

He is adorable ... he'll get fluffier. I now keep having the trim Dpuppy's face with nail scissors to see her eyes.
Can't help with the question about how long the every 20 minutes last ... ours arrived at the beginning of the summer holidays, we were outside much of the time, have tiled floors downstairs and I rarely remembered. ie did everything wrong ... and she is still housetrained now at 5.5 months. And had very few accidents after the first few weeks ... cant even remember when they stopped. So don't panic. Your dog, hopefully, will live for 15 years and will be housetrained in a few weeks.

[PitchSlapped]

We got so fed up of standing in the garden while our puppy tore round and round just playing instead of weeing i clicker trained him to wee on command. I think he was a bit older than yours but it certainly worked

[goshhhhhh]

Will look into clicker training. I've been out all day & dh has been v vigilant & taking him out every 20mins. Walks are getting slightly better - mixture of picking up if necessary & walking. Love, love, loves other dogs & people. So socialization going well (yeah something going right!) Luckily most of the dogs round here are lovely & we avoid the others. First puppy class on Saturday. Still glad we got him.